Albanian Language Media:

• Gucati, Haradinaj sentenced to four and a half years in prison each (media)
• Djukanovic: Montenegro, Kosovo have excellent neighbourly relations (media)
• In Washington D.C., Kurti meets National Security Advisor, Sullivan (media)
• Prime Minister Kurti met in Washington DC Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (media)
• Hodges: U.S., EU must have clear strategy for Kosovo (Radio Free Europe)
• COVID-19: 16 new cases (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic meets SOC Patriarch (RTS)
• Kosovo not on Friday’s agenda of CoE (Radio KIM)
• US Ambassador: Open Balkan could activate region’s economic potential (N1)
• Heads of Serbian, North Macedonia churches to serve reconciliation liturgy (N1)
• Czech EU Presidency to focus on Western Balkans (N1)
• Brnabic: UN SC resolution does not apply only in Serbia's case (Tanjug, media)
• Vucic receives Letter of Credence from new Ukrainian ambassador (RTS)
• Montenegrin Liberal Party (CLS) and Association of Kosovo Montenegrins on Djukanovic's visit to Kosovo (KoSSev, Kontakt plus radio)
• Hovenier: Mitrovica is one of the best manifestations of Kosovo's future (Kosovo Online)
• Mihajlovic on verdicts to Gucati and Haradinaj (N1)
• More bomb threats, schools evacuated in Belgrade and Nis (N1)
• Petkovic met Hill: Pristina to give up obstruction; formation of Community of Serbian Municipalities necessary (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Mixed messages from Belgrade: Is the EU narrative shifting? (EWB)

International:

• Kosovo veterans jailed for war crimes witness intimidation (RFI)
• WB2EU conference on the politics of enlargement in France in Paris on 19 and 20 May (EWB)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Reactions to reports that non-majority children were excluded from book event (media)
• Ghost schools, ghetto schools and segregated shifts (Kosovo 2.0)

   

Albanian Language Media  

  Gucati, Haradinaj sentenced to four and a half years in prison each (media)

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague today found Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, former leaders of the KLA war veterans, guilty of obstruction of justice, intimidation and the unauthorised revelation of court information and personal information about protected witnesses in war crimes cases, sentencing them to four and a half years in prison each and a fine of 100 euros. The time spent in detention on remand will also be counted in the sentence. They have been in custody since September 2020. Gucati and Haradinaj were arrested after they published documents of the Specialist Chambers which were delivered by unknown persons to the premises of the war veterans during 2020.

Read a detailed summary of the verdict at: https://bit.ly/3NjLi2W

Faton Klinaku, acting leader of the KLA war veterans, said they were expecting “an unfair verdict because the court is political”. “We don’t recognize this court and we have never recognized it. We will use all means to obstruct the functioning of this court, because it does not prosecute war criminals, but Albanians … It is regrettable that members of the Kosovo Assembly adopted a political court,” he said.

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj reacted to the verdict. He urged his former fellow fighters to "stay strong". "The war for freedom and country continues," Haradinaj wrote on Facebook.

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi said in his reaction to the verdict that “we have trusted justice and justice will inevitably and ultimately find its true path”.

Djukanovic: Montenegro, Kosovo have excellent neighbourly relations (media)

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who is on his first official visit to Kosovo, said today that Montenegro and Kosovo have excellent neighbourly relations. At a joint press conference with his Kosovo counterpart, Vjosa Osmani, Djukanovic said Montenegro supports the political dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade. “We are closely following the situation. Montenegro supports the political dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade and we believe that only political dialogue can lead to a comprehensive agreement,” he said.

Telegrafi highlights that Osmani and Djukanovic are against the Open Balkan initiative and argue that the Berlin Process is the initiative that the region needs. Osmani said the recent meeting of the G7 stressed that regional cooperation in the Western Balkans is supported within the Berlin Process where Kosovo has played a constructive role. “Unlike the Open Balkan which proved, especially in the last couple of months, that it would result in our region being more exposed to a bigger influence from Russia and we must prevent this at all costs … Instead of accelerating the paths of our countries toward the EU, it [the Open Balkan] would prolong the integration processes,” Osmani added.

Osmani also argued that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbia cannot speak of cooperation and European principles while they try to use all means to obstruct Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe.

Djukanovic said in his remarks that Montenegro is not part of the Open Balkan initiative. “We are very aware of the possibilities for regional economic cooperation. This principled orientation does not mean that our eyes are closed. But we think in this respect the Berlin Process is a good initiative,” he said. According to Djukanovic, the Open Balkan initiative started at a moment of depression in the region when Angela Merkel was at the end of her term as German Chancellor and when it was believed that the European integration of the region was under question. “Instead of creating new initiatives, let us use the potentials of existing initiatives,” he added.

RTK highlights in its coverage that “Djukanovic has left open the possible review of demarcation”. “As President Osmani said, we are aware that this [the demarcation] is a sensitive issue which may seem problematic only to those that want to create problems. But we do not consider it as such, because there are committees that will do their job properly and make sure that this does not turn into a source of problems,” Djukanovic is quoted as saying. Unlike Montenegrin Prime Minister Abazovic who said that the demarcation is a closed issue, Djukanovic said that the joint committee will enable discussing any possible dilemma. “We also talked about the border issue. We have the agreement signed in 2015, we also have the joint statement of the two presidents in 2018 and these were adopted by the assemblies of both countries. This issue can be considered problematic only by those that want problems. However, as two friendly countries, through the joint work of the committee, we will enable any possible correction,” he said.

Klan Kosova quotes President Osmani as saying on the demarcation issue that Kosovo and Montenegro must not allow their relations to be damaged. “There are many actors that seek to destabilize our region and ruin our relations, but Kosovo and Montenegro must never allow their relations to be damaged because this would serve only those that have malign interests in the Western Balkans. I don’t see any issue that can ruin relations between Kosovo and Montenegro. On the contrary, there is a lot of room to open new chapters of cooperation and to further our excellent relations,” Osmani said.

In Washington D.C., Kurti meets National Security Advisor, Sullivan (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met the United States National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan.

Kurti thanked Sullivan for the United States' contribution and support to Kosovo and noted that Kosovo is prepared to deepen partnership with the U.S. based on common values and is committed on its path to European Union integration and inclusion to the Partnership for Peace Program, as the first step towards NATO membership.

"Emphasising that the Government of Kosovo is determined that constitutionality, territorial integrity, sovereignty and legal order remain intact, Prime Minister Kurti reiterated that the dialogue between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia should be a principled dialogue that respects the equality of the parties in talks and that mutual recognition is at the centre of the agreement," a press release issued by the Government of Kosovo said.

Prime Minister Kurti met in Washington DC Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (media)

Prime Minister Kosovo Albin Kurti met in Washington DC with the Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. They discussed the special relationship between Kosovo and the U.S., geopolitical developments in Europe and the security of the region after the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, informed a press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Kurti briefed Congresswoman Slotkin on the main decisions, policies and results of the current government, with emphasis on double-digit economic growth, the fight against corruption and the improvement of democracy indicators, in accordance with the international organizations. He added that by joining the democratic world in condemning Russian aggression and imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation and sheltering Afghan citizens, Kosovo has shown leadership and proved to be a reliable partner of its allies.

On the other hand, Congresswoman Slotkin said that no state can remain neutral between Russia and Ukraine and that once again we are in an era that every state must choose a side. She further thanked Prime Minister Kurti and Kosovo for the assistance they have provided to the United States of America in sheltering Afghan citizens. "Thank you for your help when we really needed you," said Congresswoman Slotkin. She also expressed her full support for Kosovo and its aspirations for membership in regional and international organizations, in particular NATO.

Hodges: U.S., EU must have clear strategy for Kosovo (Radio Free Europe)

Russia has zero interest in a stable Balkans and will obstruct its integration in Euro-Atlantic structures, Ben Hodges, an associate of the Washington-based Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) said in an interview with the news website. He argued that the lack of a sustainable strategy from the West has left the Balkans vulnerable in the face of Russia. “We cannot move in and move out; there needs to be sustainable and long-term interest,” Hodges said.

Hodges, who served as commander of U.S. forces in Europe, said he understands Kosovo’s interest to become a member of NATO, but that in the short term, the United States and the European Union need to have a sustainable strategy for the region that addresses economic development, security and other issues.

Asked to comment on Kosovo’s request for a permanent U.S. military base in its territory, Hodges said that NATO’s peacekeeping mission KFOR is the right answer.

COVID-19: 16 new cases (media)

16 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. There are 263 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.    

Serbian Language Media

  Vucic meets SOC Patriarch (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hosted Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Patriarch Porfirije and bishops attending a regular SOC Assembly session in Belgrade today, RTS reports.

In an open part of the meeting Vucic thanked SOC for its support and understanding, while Patriarch Porfirije called for peace and to replace the language of arms with the dialogue. Patriarch Porfirije also said they are praying for peace to come to Ukraine.

Vucic said that from the moment Russian President Vladimir Putin said what was his basis to attack Ukraine, all western forces rushed to resolve “the Kosovo knot” to strip President Putin of his arguments.

He recalled that Serbia is the only country which had not imposed sanctions on Russia and faces, as he said, tremendous pressure over it. “This creates problems for us and the pressure will only increase. That is why we need to hear your stance”, Vucic said.

“I have not seen things like this, nor it came to my dreams that I will live something like this. I witnessed strong pressure regarding the Brussels agreement. We are facing an unseen hysteria, no one wishes to hear the other, let alone to listen. Diplomacy no longer exists in anything, it is now only about who will be more brutal in conveying the message. Under those conditions it is on us to preserve our state and our people. Without our Church it would be difficult for our people to survive outside of the borders. Help us that all people understand the position of Serbia, that we all stay together, and try to be united at those times”, Vucic said.  

He noted that all decisions will be made in the interest of the Serbian citizens, adding they will try to preserve the peace and stability at any cost.

Patriarch Porfirije thanked President Vucic “for responsible behaviour, which implies principled stance” and for everything he does so the current crisis affects the citizens of Serbia as mildly as it can be.   

Kosovo not on Friday’s agenda of CoE (Radio KIM)

Pristina’s request to join the Council of Europe will not be on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers’ session scheduled on May 20 in Turin to be chaired by Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, Vice President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and Union of Vojvodina Hungarians MP, Elvira Kovac told Belgrade-based daily Danas, Radio KIM reports.

She could not tell precisely when Pristina's request would be on the agenda, noting that the entire course of the Kosovo application to join the Council of Europe should be set by the Committee of Ministers and this could take time.

“Following the decision of the Committee of Ministers and in case that they make a positive opinion about Kosovo application, a recommendation will be sent to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, and the final decision will be sent back to the Committee of Ministers. In both cases two-third majority is required. At this moment one can’t predict what will happen. We can’t predict how the voting processes in the Committee of the Ministers and Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly will go”, she said, adding that Serbia will insist on its arguments.

Natasa Vuckovic from the Center for Democracy and a long-term member of the Serbian Delegation at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly said the admission process to this institution is rather complicated. She explained that upon receiving the mandate by the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly needs to appoint rapporteurs of the political committee and committee for human and legal affairs, that should assess if Kosovo fulfilled criteria in those fields.

Upon assessing criteria, the committees along with a candidate will draft reports and this procedure may take time, she said, adding that Serbia received that report after two years, and it took three years for the country to join the Council of Europe, while Croatia waited for six years to become a member.

Asked if the war in Ukraine may accelerate procedure, she said procedure is complex, as Council of Europe MPs are free to vote, and their stances do not have to be aligned with the stances of their governments but rather with that of the political parties they come from.

“It is very difficult to predict how the delegations of Spain and France will vote. For the sake of truth the procedure is somehow easier now, following the departure of the Russian Delegation as it was the most numerous one and had 18 members”, Vuckovic explained.

She also said the Council of Europe has 46 member states (after Russia’s departure) and 33 votes are needed for Kosovo to become a member.

Dragan Bisenic, former ambassador, noted Spain as an example of a state which decides without calculation, adding that this country is not ready to recognize Kosovo statehood, not even in sports events or any other competitions. He opined that the states which recognized Kosovo gave up on the model of affirming Kosovo as a state in the UN, and moved onto affirming Kosovo statehood within the European context.

He added there are five states which are against membership of Kosovo in the Council of Europe, including Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“It is interesting to see how Ukraine will act in this regard. If Ukraine thinks that Kosovo can become a member of the Council of Europe, although it is not a state, then one may ask the question, would Ukraine this way do a detrimental favor to itself and create a pretext that would go against it”, Bisenic said. 

US Ambassador: Open Balkan could activate region’s economic potential (N1)

US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill said Tuesday that the Open Balkan initiative could activate the region’s economic potential, N1 reports.

Speaking in a meeting organised by the American Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Hill said the initiative could attract even more foreign investments, a press release said.

According to Hill, Serbia has become the key investment destination in Europe with potential for growth. He recalled that US companies have invested more than 4 billion USD in the country and are providing more than 20,000 jobs.

Hill is quoted as expressing confidence in ACC efforts to support American values including equal market conditions for the entire business community and improving transparency, rule of law, digitalization, energy diversification and protecting the environment as principles which will help attract more companies to the country and become a member of the European Union.

Heads of Serbian, North Macedonia churches to serve reconciliation liturgy (N1)

The heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and the newly recognized Ohrid Archbishopric in North Macedonia will serve a reconciliation liturgy in the Temple of St Sava in Belgrade, the SPC said on Tuesday, N1 reports. 

The statement said that SPC Patriarch Porfirije and Archbishop of Ohrid Stefan will serve the liturgy on Thursday May 19 and added that the service will restore “liturgical and canonic relations between the two kindred churches in line with the decision of the SPC Holy Synod”.

The SPC called the “faithful in Belgrade … to take part in prayer in this unique and joyous event”.

Czech EU Presidency to focus on Western Balkans (N1)

The upcoming Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union should include a focus on the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said after their talks in Prague on Tuesday, N1 reports.

Nehammer said the Western Balkans must not be forgotten because of the war in Ukraine, the expats.cz portal said. It quoted Fiala as saying that progress in the EU integration of the Western Balkans is in the interest of both Czechia and Austria.

The portal said that Czechia is considering a summit with officials of the Western Balkans countries.

Brnabic: UN SC resolution does not apply only in Serbia's case (Tanjug, media)

Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday a document from a recent G7 meeting pointed to UN Security Council resolutions as the solutions to all problems in the world, while only in the case of Serbia there was no mention of the relevant UN SC resolution - Resolution 1244.

"Trivia: The (Policy Paper) document from the G7 meeting points to respect of UN SC resolutions as the solutions to all problems/crises in the world. In the case of Libya, it calls for full respect of UNSCR Resolutions 2629, 2571, 2570 and 2292, and UNSCR Resolutions 2254 and 2118 in the case of Syria and Resolution 2231 in the case of Iran, etc.," Brnabic wrote in a Twitter post.

"Only in the case of Serbia, there is no mention of UNSCR 1244 - because everyone in the G7 has violated it," Brnabic concluded.

Brnabic said this demonstrated the complexity of the situation and the gravity of the position of Serbia, which she noted respected international law and the UN, including the "basic principles of the inviolability of the territorial integrity of internationally recognized states."

See at: https://bit.ly/38BL20n Vucic receives Letter of Credence from new Ukrainian ambassador (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received a Letter of Credence from the newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Serbia, Volodimir Tolakach in Belgrade today and announced on this occasion that Serbia will take part in restoring the cities in Ukraine, RTS reports.

President Vucic also expressed regret over the situation in Ukraine, and informed Ambassador Tolkach on the stances of the Serbian Government and National Security Council, reads the statement issued by Vucic’s press cabinet.

Vucic said Serbia remains committed to respecting the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states as a foundational principle of the international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter, adding that in this regard Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

He also said Serbia is exposed to the non-principled stance of one part of the world when it comes to unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, and thanked Ukraine for respecting territorial integrity of Serbia.

Vucic added Serbia ensured the best possible conditions to the civilians and refugees from Ukraine, including the right to residence and working permits, in line with the EU states rules and beyond them.    

Montenegrin Liberal Party (CLS) and Association of Kosovo Montenegrins on Djukanovic's visit to Kosovo (KoSSev, Kontakt plus radio)

The President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, is on his first official visit to Kosovo, at the invitation of the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani. On the eve of Djukanovic's arrival, the CLS and the Association of Montenegrins "Matica" reacted, saying that he is not welcome. Slobodan Vujicic demanded a deadline to be set for resolving the constitutional and legal position of Montenegrins, reported portal KoSSev. 

The Montenegrin President will be welcomed at 10:00 AM on Ibrahim Rugova Square in Pristina, with the highest honours.

The Montenegrin Liberal Party of Kosovo (CLS) and the Association of Kosovo Montenegrins "Matica" reacted to the announcement of Djukanovic's visit to Kosovo, saying that he was not welcome because, as they say, he is an accomplice ''in the ethnic cleansing of 30,000 compatriots and one of the most deserving for obvious legalization of that ethnic cleansing", reported KoSSev, citing Kontakt plus radio. 

"Said in the language of truth and arguments - a long-lasting genocide took place against Montenegrins in Kosovo and Metohija, and Montenegrins are the biggest victims of all events in the province. Out of 30,000 today, we have only a few hundred Montenegrins. Everyone is gathered around the Montenegrin Liberal Party and the Association of Kosovo Montenegrins "Matica".''

Representatives of Montenegrins in Kosovo added that the authorities in Pristina do not recognize Montenegrins as a national minority, and said that Djukanovic "does not dare to say a word'' about Njegos' monument in central Pristina, which was  destroyed 23 years ago, and that, as they say, he actually agrees with the "satanization of his compatriots", reported KoSSev. 

''Montenegrin cemeteries in Metohija have been plowed, many of our churches belonging to the Diocese of Raska and Prizren have been burned, but that does not affect Djukanovic, who was and remains an ally of those who forcibly expelled Montenegrins in 1999, burned their houses, homes, churches and monasteries and for almost two and a half decades, they have been illegally using Montenegrin properties and Montenegrin apartments in residential buildings from Pec to Vucitrn," reported Kontakt plus radio, citing the statement. 

A few days ago, the president of the Association of Montenegrins of Kosovo, Slobodan Vujicic, spoke, stating that they expect the President of Montenegro to "set a final deadline with his Kosovo colleagues to renew the rejected strategy for affirmation and integration of the Montenegrin community".

He also demands that a deadline be set for resolving the constitutional and legal position of Montenegrins in Kosovo and adequate representation in the Assembly of Kosovo.

"All outside that will very quickly lead to the complete destruction of the Montenegrin ethnic being, which is additionally split and divided due to the consequences of the situation in the home country," concluded Slobodan Vujicic.

Vujicic also referred to the recently re-actualized topic - border demarcation, stating that this process has already been completed, without the possibility of revision.

On the other hand, he reminds that the statements of some Kosovo officials that the issue is not over are becoming more frequent and louder, reported KoSSev.

Reviving this topic, which burdened Kosovo society and was accompanied by violence on the streets of Kosovo and in the Assembly, was dangerous. Vujicic said that they expect that after the planned meetings, Pristina will finally accept the factual situation and put an end to the case of delimitation, wrote KoSSev.

Hovenier: Mitrovica is one of the best manifestations of Kosovo's future (Kosovo Online)

US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hoviener said that his trip to Mitrovica yesterday was productive and the first of its kind where he met mayors, Kosovo police members, independent media, and activists, and believed that Mitrovica was one of the best manifestations of Kosovo's future, reported Kosovo Online

He wrote on Twitter that he also met with representatives of civil society and young activists who are committed to turning this aspiration into reality - to make Mitrovica a place where a democratic, multiethnic Kosovo can and should prosper and yield results for all citizens.

"The United States is committed to making that happen. While many are focusing on its past role, I believe that Mitrovica is one of the best manifestations of Kosovo's future," Hovenier said.

Mihajlovic on verdicts to Gucati and Haradinaj (N1)

Journalist Milivoje Mihajlovic told N1 Studio Live that verdicts to Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj were expected, adding the acts they committed were not the topics this court deals with. According to him the verdicts “were an overture to major trials”, N1 reports.

The Specialist Chambers sentenced Gucati and Haradinaj to four and a half years in prison each, and a 100 euro financial fine over intimidation of witnesses in the court proceedings against former KLA leaders. According to Mihajlovic the verdicts were expected.

“The prosecution asked for six and a half years, the Kosovo public expected it would be three years, however, the court, judging from the expectations of the Kosovo public, issued harsher sentences”, he said.

“This is an overture to the major trials. To the trials of former president and prime minister Hashim Thaci, former assembly speaker Kadri Veseli and in some way to the members of KLA HQ during the rebellion in 1998 and 1999 in Kosovo”, Mihajlovic added.

Commenting on witnesses in the trials, Mihajlovic recalled that based on experience “during the trial of Ramush Haradinaj in The Hague, the witnesses vanished mysteriously”. “They had car accidents in Podgorica, one was found dead in a park in Germany, information was leaking on all sides”, he said.

More bomb threats, schools evacuated in Belgrade and Nis (N1)

Schools in the Serbian capital and the southern city of Nis received fresh bomb threats on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of students and staff, N1 reports.

Media said that at least four vocational high schools in Belgrade and one in Nis received bomb threats. Belgrade daily Blic said that a medical, two electronics and computer science and a telecommunications school in Belgrade were evacuated forcing the schools to cancel classes.

The Serbian public broadcaster RTS said that a high school in Nis received a bomb threat by phone at 9.30 am, adding that a bomb squad searched the school for two hours and found nothing.

The latest bomb threats follow a mass incident on Monday when more than 170 schools across Belgrade received bomb threats. Police bomb squads were still searching some schools on Wednesday morning, forcing them to organize online classes.

See at: https://bit.ly/3Loux5s  Petkovic met Hill: Pristina to give up obstruction; formation of Community of Serbian Municipalities necessary (Kosovo Online) 

Kosovo Online reports that the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, talked today with the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Serbia, Christopher Hill. Petkovic informed Hill about the results of the last Brussels meeting and the problems Serbs face in Kosovo, wrote the portal. 

Petkovic pointed out that this time as well, there was no direct meeting with the Pristina delegation, which again refused to discuss the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) and resolving the issue of the missing.

"In that way, Pristina has once again shown that it persists in its efforts to close the door to dialogue and destroy any possibility of discussing the accumulated problems," said Petkovic.

The Director of the Office for KiM stated that it is necessary for Pristina to give up obstruction and finally implement what has been agreed so far in Brussels. To enable the establishment of the CSM with essential competencies and instruments for effective protection of the Serbian people's position and interest. He added that Pristina's latest moves also violate the Washington agreement, reported Kosovo Online. 

During the meeting, Petkovic noted that the resolution of the issue of missing persons was initiated at the insistence of Belgrade and that the Stavalj mine is the twenty-third location, where, at Pristina's request, the terrain is searched, in the presence of Pristina, EULEX, the International Committee of the Red Cross and family of the missing.

He added that, on the contrary, Pristina does not allow the search of nine locations in Kosovo, where, according to Belgrade, the remains of Serbs missing in the war are located.

Petkovic also briefed the US ambassador on difficult situation of the Serbian people in Kosovo, stressing that attacks on Serbs, their property, monasteries, and churches are a daily occurrence and that 178 ethnically motivated incidents have been reported since early last year but that condemnation and reactions from both the provisional institutions in Pristina and the international institutions in Kosovo were absent. 

"Despite everything, Belgrade remains committed to constructive dialogue and compromise, as the only means by which conditions can be created for lasting stability and prosperity in Kosovo and Metohija and the Western Balkans as a whole," Petkovic concluded.

   

Opinion

  Mixed messages from Belgrade: Is the EU narrative shifting? (EWB)

“Serbia is on the EU-accession path, we will tread stronger on that path and we will fight so that Serbia becomes a part of the EU family”, said President Aleksandar Vučić in his opening remarks during an address to the nation on 6 May.

Vučić also emphasized that Serbia shall pursue EU membership regardless of the latest poll showing that a majority of citizens are against Serbia joining the EU because “it is our job to do what is in the best interest of Serbia”

“Our trade exchange with EU makes 62,5% of our foreign trade balance, that’s 30+ billion euros, 300,000 people are directly or indirectly employed in companies from the EU, biggest investments come from the EU, 1,9 billion euros last year”, said Vučić

Official data support the President’s message. In the last 16 years, Serbia also received over 3.6 billion euros in grants from the EU. Moreover, the country receives 200 million euros annually from IPA funds, and this financial support is used for, among other, infrastructural projects, hospitals and schools.

Only rarely has Vučić spoken this positively about the EU in recent years. In fact, media analyses suggest that, during the pandemic, the EU was very often the target of critics from the pro-government media and the highest echelons of power, including the President.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3sGRBpk    

International 

  Kosovo veterans jailed for war crimes witness intimidation (RFI)

A war crimes court in The Hague jailed two Kosovo former separatist fighters to four-and-a-half years on Wednesday for intimidating witnesses, in its first verdict over Kosovo's 1990s independence war from Serbia.

Hysni Gucati and Nasim Haradinaj, the head and the deputy head of a group of veterans from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), were found guilty of revealing the details of hundreds of witnesses after receiving classified files from the court.

The two men, who were arrested in September 2022, called witnesses "traitors, spies and collaborators" in a bid to scare them off testifying to the Netherlands-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the court found.

"This judgment clearly paints those acts for what they are: criminal and not patriotic," presiding judge Charles Smith said as he handed down the sentences at the high-security court.

"The message of the accused to these witnesses was: now that everyone knows who you are, no one can protect you."

The time the men have already served in detention since their arrest will be deducted from the sentence, Smith said. They were also fined 100 euros each.

Gucati and Haradinaj, who had denied the charges, listened to the judgment through headphones and stood to be sentenced.

Read full article at: https://bit.ly/3LwK5UQ

WB2EU conference on the politics of enlargement in France in Paris on 19 and 20 May (EWB)

“Western Balkans to EU” Network (WB2EU) will organize an event on the politics of EU enlargement in France in Paris on 19 and 20 May. The event will gather experts from the Western Balkans and the EU countries, to discuss what the novel context in Europe could mean for the Balkans’ path into the EU.

“Right in between the tail of the presidential race and the head of the parliamentary elections our WB2EU 4th Ideas go public Lab will focus on the general politics of enlargement in France. The Russian aggression on Ukraine rekindled a movement of solidarity and mobilization akin to those of 1956 for Hungary, 1968 for Prague, or the 1980’ for Poland,” stated organizers of the event.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3wxmYE1

   

Humanitarian/Development

 

Reactions to reports that non-majority children were excluded from book event (media)

Director of the Education Department at the Municipality of Peja, Naser Gega, commented on the reports that several children of the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities were excluded from the event marking the ABC Book Day.

Online media published pictures of a group of children who they said were from non-majority communities and sitting separately from the rest of their classmates at the Peja event. 

Gega said the children in question were not part of the same class that was celebrating and that they only went to the event to see the show. He said the children could have sat wherever they wanted at the gymnasium and chose the specific seats. 

The principal of the school that organised the event, Syle Peli, said the children in question were not part of those celebrating the ABC Book Day and are instead part of intensive lesson classes offered to children who have either been enrolled to school at a later stage or are among those repatriated. 

Leader of the Egyptian Liberal Party, Veton Berisha, demanded accountability for why children of the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities were seated separately at the Peja event. He said the children were segregated. 

Dardan Molliqaj, leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), called for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Arberie Nagavci. 

Adriana Matoshi, MP from the ruling Vetevendosje Movement, said today that racism is intolerable and that the Ministry of Education must urgently react and “clean schools from racist teachers”. 

Earlier, Kosovo's Minister of Education, Arberie Nagavci, has expressed 'deep concern' over the reports and added that the issue would be treated as a priority. "The principle of non-discrimination is part of our continuous policies and actions, and must therefore be respected and implemented at all levels. As a minister, a teacher, a mother and a citizen, I condemn any form of discrimination, in any relation, especially when it comes to children whom we must raise with love and equality every step of the way," Nagavci wrote on Facebook. 

At the same time, Local Government Administration Minister, Elbert Krasniqi, said he was concerned about the case. "As a minister, as a citizen of this community and as a citizen of the Republic of Kosovo, apart from strongly condemning this act, I call on institutions to call to accountability persons responsible for this grave gesture," he said.

Ghost schools, ghetto schools and segregated shifts (Kosovo 2.0)

Segregation of Roma and Ashkali children in the Serbian parallel education system.

The sound of the bell rings out across the yard of Branko Radičević Elementary, a Serbian-run school in North Mitrovica. The last bell of the morning shift, half an hour before noon, puts into motion the noisy daily movements that flow like choreography: the clatter of wooden chairs and tables, backpacks flinging over shoulders and the joyful rush out into the schoolyard.

One by one or in groups, the children leave the school grounds for the next shift of students. The school, just a five-minute walk from the city center, operates in two shifts.

The second shift of students, which attends the school from midday to the afternoon, enters the schoolyard and then waits for the sound of the bell marking the start of their school day. The scene is on the surface identical to the routine of the morning shift except for one key difference. The children in the first shift are Serbs. The children in the second shift are exclusively Roma or Ashkali children, largely bussed in from the southern part of Mitrovica. 

This division appears to raise no eyebrows. When asked whether the second shift was only Roma children, a woman at a nearby shop, a man working at a construction site next door and a number of local parents answer in the same normal tone, “Yes, only Roma,” they say, though some, in place of “Roma,” utter racist slurs in Albanian or Serbian instead.

While the ethnic segregation of these children is a well-known fact of life in the north, it remains largely unknown across the rest of Kosovo. It is, however, common knowledge among educational authorities working in the Kosovar and Serbian systems as well as a number of international aid and development organizations.

Through our investigation, K2.0 confirmed the existence of similar types of segregation in a number of Serbian-run schools in other ethnically mixed cities and towns across Kosovo. In addition to the ethnically segregated school shifts in North Mitrovica, there is a nearly empty “ghost school” in Obiliq to which Roma children are bussed to from another town and a ghettoized satellite branch school for Roma in Gjilan. There are also indications of similar practices in Janjevë, Plemetina and a village outside Fushë Kosova.

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